Mascara is formulated for a wide variety of effects when applied to a user's eyelashes. One mascara is known as a curling or building formula. It is generally of lighter viscosity and is quick drying on the eyelashes, having a setup time generally in the range of three to five seconds. Such mascara is ideally applied in several coats, and the mascara brush used to make the application must first deposit the mascara on the eyelashes and then comb the eyelashes into an uplifted curved configuration as the mascara dries, so that the mascara can hold the eyelashes in that desired position. Thereafter, one or more additional coats of the mascara may be applied, until the eyelashes are sufficiently stiffened in their uplifted curled position.
Mascara brushes generally comprise a twisted wire core that secures bristles therebetween, the bristles extending radially outwardly to bristle ends. The mascara brush is preferably capable of both applying the mascara product and combing the mascara product after it has been applied. Many different types of bristles and configurations of brushes have been brought forward in an effort to satisfy those two, often inconsistent goals. None of these brushes has achieved a desired level of success in applying the curling or building products.
On the other hand, some mascara products are heavier and are designed with slower drying times, on the order of seven and even ten or more seconds. These products are used to enhance the appearance of thin or light colored eyelashes where a thick coat of the mascara is required. Successful application involves placing a substantial amount of the heavier mascara on the eyelashes, followed by combing the eyelashes to separate them and evenly distribute the mascara product. Again, mascara brushes with many bristle types and configurations have been proposed for such mascaras with some success, but improvement is still awaited in the industry.
One of the prior configurations is a curved mascara brush. The curve permits contact of the brush with more eyelashes along a correspondingly curved eyelid. Another configuration is the longitudinal profile brush, in which the brush is trimmed to an asymmetric cross sectional shape. The shape typically has some longer and some shorter bristles and is accomplished in a straight wire brush. None of these brushes excelled at applying the curling or building mascaras, and also do not provide a brush for the heavier mascaras either.